Monday, September 1, 2008

PAX 08: The quick write-up

The One Ups rock the stage on Friday night at PAX 2008. Photo by Doug Bonham

I'm tired, my body is sore and tired, and I drove back from Seattle to Portland today, but PAX 2008 was a great experience, as it was the other two times I have made the trek to pay homage to Gabe and Tycho. Well, it's never really been about kissing the ring and bowing at their feet, more like enjoying their hospitality and having them host the greatest gaming festival that can be thrown.

Quick-hitting thoughts: Nerds smell; you can tell what somebody's doing at PAX by how well they dress; lines suck, but they're also great places to make impromptu friends for five (or 45) minutes; as my friend Tyler noted, a surprising amount of attractive females were at the show and not just dragged along by significant others.

There were a few games on display that I was not expecting to be at the show in anything other than video form. Mirrors Edge, Left 4 Dead, Fallout 3, Starcraft II, and Rock Band 2 were all playable - and all had fucking epic lines to play them. I suppose it's good that you, at least, could.

Be glad you can't see the guy in the Destructoid helmet's shorts. Photo by Doug Bonham

I went to a bunch of panels, especially ones about the video game industry and writing for it/with it/around it, and easily the best was the one hosted by Destructoid. Hilarious, mad-cap, and very informative, I've come away from it floored - and instilled with energy to go out there and get into the industry starting from scratch. I know I can do it, and I have some plans in mind that will all be revealed as soon as they're truly formulated. Until then, I'll keep off my feet and fantasize about living the dream.